Le bateau St-Benoit dans lequel les moines se noyèrent-

The boat in which the monks drowned

As time goes; Dom Vannier legacy

Dom Vannier came to Canada July 12, 1912. The following October 8, he purchased a farm from a Mr. Lachapelle, which would later become the Saint-Benoît-du-lac monastery. The site is an excellent retreat for meditation and prayer, as well as a breathtaking view.

Times were difficult for Dom Vannier at the beginning, connections having been cut with France, the motherland, at the onset of World War I.

On November 30, 1914, Dom Vannier set out for Sherbrooke with Brother Collot to attend a gathering for Mgr. Larocque. They decided to go to Magog by motor boat and, from there, to travel on to Sherbrooke by train or car. They travelled 6 1/2 miles to a cluster of small islands, Les TroisSoeurs, oblivious to the thin ice and consequent danger. Suddenly, sharp ice sliced the hull of the boat, wich sank. Drowned its 2 passengers.

"Dom Vannier survived a mere two and a half years in Canada and left behind only a fragile legacy. Luckily, others came along to pick up where he left off and bring his work to completion, at different times.

Four architects who took part in the erection of the monastery were: FélixRacicot, Dom Bellot, Dom Côté and Dan Haganu. The grand Saint-Benoît-du-lac monastery lends an air of nobility to our region, as well as acting as a spiritual catharsis on the shores of the sometimes-cruel LakeMemphremagog.